Disruption: A River Of Secrets And Betrayal
Page 35
"That means someone above us knows what is going on."
"No, of course not. All it means is that people are doing their jobs and communicating the information they are given to communicate. Where it began, and by whom; well, that is one of those rabbit trails you've talked about chasing."
Silence, while the faces around the table stared at each other with the same look they might have after watching eight hours of a very bad science fiction movie.
"But listen," Steve said, "I must go. Thank you for your service."
"Wait," Emily said, "I have more questions, when will we talk again Steve?"
"Steve? Steve was never here Emily. There is no Steve."
Click.
Several moments of silence.
"OK, did any of that make sense to anyone at all," Reyes asked
"Well," Chambers said "I don't know about the rest of you people, but I need a drink. A real one, and not one of those might be a drink or might not be a drink things."
"Let's call it a day," Emily said, "I feel like one of Chamber's EMP flashbulb things just went off next to my brain. I suggest we take Chambers' idea and meet for a drink later. Maybe some alcohol will clear things up."
They each collected their materials and left the room. Emily stopped by her office to grab a few things and walked to the parking lot. She got in her car and headed south toward Route 610. Before she went up the ramp, she stopped at a small convenience store to pick up the ice cream she had promised to take him tonight.
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PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
My dad was a towboat captain. That is all he ever needed you to know. If he were to introduce himself to you, it would go like this: “I am a towboat Captain. I am a Captain, and I will BE a Captain until two weeks after I am dead and gone.”
I first told him about the idea for this book twenty years ago, and he laughed at it. He said it was silly, it was impossible, and it would simply never happen. In our final conversation last year, two weeks before he died, he asked if I remembered that story I had told him a long time ago. He said it had scared the hell out of him, was absolutely possible, and he just didn’t want to think about it while he was still out there. He told me I should write it.
The river and towboats have been a part of my life forever. I am one of the few men on my father’s side of the family who did not go to work on the river, and eventually become a towboat Captain. Growing up, I was introduced to ‘river rats’ he worked with from every walk of life and every part of the country. While no characters in this story are based on any specific person, I am quite sure that each of my characters carries a few pieces of those real men and women I met and admired.
The life of a towboater is a unique one, with unique benefits and pressures on the towboater and his or her family. It is a culture of hard work, loneliness, close friendships, dangerous actions, a forceful sense of humor, and blunt language. I have several friends and family members who are still “out there”, continuing a tradition that has defined my family for four generations now. The words and actions of the towboaters you meet in Disruption are offered as a nod of respect and appreciation to those people who helped raise me and taught me how to live a full life.
J. B. Jamison, New Berlin, IL.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, a huge thank you to my father, my uncles, cousins and all of the others who, since I was old enough to understand them, filled my mind with stories about life working on the river.
Second, to those who offered their time to read the early manuscript of the story and offer their thoughts. You helped me catch the parts that didn’t make sense, or that were just wrong. You helped make the story better than it was.
Third, to E. M. Kaye, my wonderful editor and mentor, who suggested, guided, and sometimes pushed me to see that the final book was far better than I thought was possible.
Finally, to Pat, who made sure I had the time to sit and write, sit and write, sit and write. She helped remove the disruptions from my life so the book could be written.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. B. Jamison is a life-long believer in the power of stories. First as a pastor, then educator, then creator of Centers for Innovation at multiple universities, and finally as the Director of a national Game and Simulation academic degree program, stories have played a central role in his work and have remained a passion throughout his life.
A published author and a long-time gamer, he has consulted with major game development companies and developed a series of learning games for children. Most importantly, John is the proud grandpa of Benjamin William and Emily Grace, the future rulers of the real and virtual universes.
Disruption is his first novel.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Visit J. B. Jamison’s website at:
jbjamison.com
Facebook/johnbjamison